The world is facing an increasing demand for resources caused by global population growth and changing consumption patterns. The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) NEXUS has emerged as a central approach to integrated resource management and security. This paradigm has attracted considerable attention in academia, policy dialogue, industrial innovation and development cooperation, as it provides tools to quantify and assess cross-sectoral relationships and enables integrated planning for sectoral growth prospects (Eftelioglu et al., 2017; Sušnik and Staddon, 2021; Simpson et al., 2022).

But the story does not end here. Research teams around the world are expanding the NEXUS concept and introducing more comprehensive frameworks such as ecosystems (WEFE) (Bidoglio et al., 2019; Malago et al., 2021), climate and land (WEFCL) (Ramos et al., 2022) and health (WEFH) (Slorach et al., 2020). Despite a growing body of literature and numerous case studies, there are still gaps in applying NEXUS frameworks to policy recommendations, including the lack of standardized procedures, methods and models to identify and assess their impacts.

NEXUSNET Cost Action is committed to providing tangible examples of NEXUS-compliant decisions and recommendations. Its mission extends across Europe and beyond, working with international stakeholders and applying transdisciplinary approaches. NEXUSNET targets the local, regional, national and European levels and emphasizes the international dimension. By involving stakeholders from different backgrounds, NEXUSNET explores the intricate relationships between water, energy and food systems, considering geographical nuances and global interdependencies. It also considers the social, cultural, economic and political factors that shape the WEF NEXUS. This international focus aligns with the global challenges of resource management, particularly concerning the increasing demand for water, energy and food due to population growth and changing consumption patterns.

Bridging Gaps through Transdisciplinary Initiatives

In addressing these challenges, NEXUSNET aims to assess the impact of NEXUS activities by utilizing the insights of its community members. A central question guides this endeavour: “What makes an effective Nexus project?” The initial results of a pilot study in collaboration with the @European Junior Water Program (EJWP) were revealing. Community members emphasized that effective NEXUS projects use multidisciplinary approaches and involve different stakeholders and sectors. While water, food and energy have received much attention, there is a growing consensus on the need to include biodiversity, ecosystems, climate and land use in future initiatives. In addition to the technical aspects, respondents also emphasized the importance of culture, cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, cross-sectoral linkages and socio-economic assessments.

Photos by: Mirela Sertić Perić

Join the Movement: Participate in the Survey!

NEXUSNET’s second initiative invites you to be a part of the movement. If you have been involved in projects at the intersection of Water, Food, Energy, Biodiversity, Climate, Land use, or health, your experiences are invaluable. The ongoing online NEXUSNET survey aims to uncover the real impact of NEXUS projects. Share your insights, contribute to the conversation, and help shape the future of sustainable NEXUS initiatives.

Your experiences form the foundation for change. Participate in the survey now and catalyze a positive impact!

Keywords/Hashtags:

#NEXUSNET #WEFNexus #ResourceManagement #TransdisciplinaryApproaches #Sustainability #IntegratedPlanning

References:

Bidoglio G, Vanham D, Bouraoui F, Barchiesi S (2019) The water-energy-food-ecosystems (WEFE) nexus. In: Fath B (ed.) Encyclopedia of Ecology. 2nd ed, 459–466.

Eftelioglu E, Jiang Z, Tang X, Shekhar S (2017) The nexus of food, energy, and water resources: visions and challenges in spatial computing. In: Griffith DA, Chun Y, Denis J (ed.) Advances in Geocomputation. Advances in Geographic Information Science, (Cham: Springer International Publishing).

Malagó A, Comero S, Bouraoui F, Kazezyılmaz-Alhan CM, Gawlik BM, Easton P, Laspidou C (2021) An analytical framework to assess SDG targets within the context of WEFE nexus in the Mediterranean region. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 164: 105205.

Ramos EP, Kofinas D, Sundin C, Brouwer F, Laspidou C (2022) Operationalizing the Nexus approach: Insights from the SIM4NEXUS project. Frontiers in Environmental Science 10: 787415.

Simpson GB, Jewitt GPW, Becker W, Badenhorst J, Masia S, Neves AR, Rovira P, Pascual V (2022) The Water-Energy-Food Nexus Index: A tool to support integrated resource planning, management and security. Frontiers in Water 4: 825854.

Slorach PC, Jeswani HK, Cuéllar-Franca R, Azapagic A (2020) Environmental sustainability in the food-energy-water-health nexus: A new methodology and an application to food waste in a circular economy. Waste Management 113: 359–368.

Sušnik J, Staddon C (2021) Evaluation of water–energy–food (WEF) nexus research: Perspectives, challenges and directions for future research. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 58, 1189–1198.